THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
On Sept. 11, 2026, Jewel Cave National Monument hosted a naturalization ceremony for 12 new citizens in partnership with the United States District Court, District of South Dakota and the Denver Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument is changing its operations for the winter season. Starting Tuesday, September 8, the monument will be open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Official NPS source
A bat at Jewel Cave National Monument has tested positive for rabies. Trained park personnel collected the live bat along the Historic Lantern Tour route on July 29. No human contact with this bat has been reported.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument is changing its operations to prepare for visitors this summer season. The monument will be open every day starting Sunday, May 24, with extended hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument plans to host a free concert The Historic Dance Club Revival on Saturday, September 20th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. outside in the monument’s Historic Area.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument is planning to host its first ever “Fly Through the Canyons” 5K trail run and walk on Saturday, September 13. The general public is invited to join this free 5K event to honor Active-Duty Military, Reserve, Veterans, and their families.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will cease cave tours Monday, September 8 to Friday, September 12, 2025, to complete a planned back-up generator installation. The visitor center will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on Thursday, September 11.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument is changing its operations for the winter season. Starting Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the monument will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will begin its summer operations May 25 with daily tours and extended hours. Reservations are recommended for all cave tours on Recreation.gov.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will celebrate National Park Week with several activities on Saturday, April 19. These activities include a bird count, fee-free cave tours, and a “Discovery Hour” presentation.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will cease cave tours Monday, March 24 to Friday, March 28, 2025, due to a planned emergency generator installation. On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the visitor center will not have power and will be closed.
Official NPS source
The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund financed critical preservation work on the roof and gutter system on the Historic Cabin at the Historic Area at Jewel Cave National Monument.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument visitor center will be having its HVAC system replaced this winter. This work will reduce the availability of visitor center amenities and occasionally require the building to be closed throughout the winter. The replacement of the HVAC system is necessary to maintain a safe and cared-for visitor center facility.
Official NPS sourceThe Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund recently financed a rehabilitation project on the Roof Trail at Jewel Cave National Monument. The Roof Trail is a quarter-mile path that helps visitors explore the relationship between the surface and subsurface resources of the monument. Rehabilitation of this trail is of importance to the monument as they strive to create increased accessibility.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument will release our Draft Accessibility Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan on Friday, June 7. As part of the planning process, the National Park Service is seeking public comment on the draft plan. Your participation is important to our planning process.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument has received an Open OutDoors for Kids (OOK) grant from the National Park Foundation to offer virtual programs, classroom visits, and in-person field trips through the 2023-2024 school year.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument will be changing its hours of operation for the off-season. Beginning Sunday, October 29 the visitor center will be closed Sundays-Tuesdays and open Wednesdays-Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with cave tours at scheduled times.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument will suspend Interagency Pass Sales effective September 30th, 2023. The program will resume in early summer of 2024.
Official NPS sourceAfter massive renovation projects, cave tours will resume at Jewel Cave on February 3, 2022.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park plan to increase their fees for cave tours and, in Wind Cave's case, their campground, in early January 2022.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument will offer final cave tours this season on Saturday, October 9th. The monument had success in leading both Historic Lantern Tours and modified Discovery Tours over the summer months. The Historic Lantern Tours finished for the season back in mid-September to make way for hibernating bats. The final modified Discovery Tours for the season will be available on Saturday, October 9th on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Official NPS sourceJewel Cave National Monument announces its off-season hours beginning Sunday, September 26th. The monument will be closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, and open Wednesdays-Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. These hours will be in effect throughout the winter.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park are seeking comments until September 7 on a proposal that would raise cave tour and camping fees beginning next year.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily starting Sunday, May 30, 2021. Limited walk-in/walk-out tours of the cave will resume that day while repair work continues on the elevator.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument is celebrating National Park Week, April 17-25, by hosting a free bat house building activity in partnership with the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association on Saturday, April 17, at 2:00 p.m.
Official NPS source
The park film at Jewel Cave National Monument earned first place in the 2020 Interpretive Media Award Competition for the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). NAI recognizes excellence in film, publications, indoor and outdoor exhibitory, and digital media. NAI awards are widely recognized as a symbol of the highest standards in interpretive media production.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave National Monument will begin repairs on the elevator shaft and modernizing the elevator cars used to transport visitors and staff in and out of the cave December 2020.
Official NPS source
The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) recently announced Patrick Lickteig as recipient of their Shining Star Award. Patrick serves as a Visitor Center Host within the Volunteers-In-Parks Program at Jewel Cave National Monument. He has been a volunteer at the monument since 2016.
Official NPS source
Jewel Cave is hosting two ranger-guided snowshoe hikes at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 18. The hikes are geared for beginners and will follow the easy one-quarter-mile Roof Trail near the visitor center. There are no fees for this event; however, snowshoes will be available on a first come first served basis.
Official NPS source
Cave Explorers Map a New Milestone. Cave explorers recently mapped the 200th mile in Jewel Cave. A team of six volunteer cavers entered the cave on Saturday, December 15, 2018 and reached the milestone on Sunday. The Monument is planning a 200-Mile Celebration for the public on June 28 - 30, 2019 in Custer, South Dakota.
Official NPS source